A man, suspected of being the leader of a smuggling organization that brought large quantities of drugs from Thailand to South Korea and spread them nationwide, was arrested in Thailand and forcibly repatriated on the 11th.
The Korean National Police Agency noted that an individual identified as A (41) was forcibly repatriated to South Korea through Incheon International Airport on the morning of the same day.
A is accused of systematically bringing in approximately 60 billion won worth of methamphetamine and ketamine into the country over a period of more than two years, from October 2022 to November 2024.
A is suspected of organizing multinational couriers composed of Koreans and Thais. The couriers concealed drugs in their major body parts and smuggled them into the country through passenger flights. The ketamine they smuggled is commonly referred to as "K" or "club drug" among young people and has spread nationwide through distribution networks to clubs in Gangnam and elsewhere.
The Chuncheon District Prosecutor's Office in Yeongwol and the Pyeongchang Police Station, which investigated this case, apprehended a total of 27 individuals around July 2023: ▲ 23 from the smuggling organization ▲ 3 from the distribution organization ▲ 1 buyer and user. According to police investigations, these individuals had a senior-junior relationship in the Ansan area. They traveled to Thailand and divided their roles as total planners, financiers, recruiters, supervisors, couriers, and sellers, and even created a code of conduct that included retaliation if any member tried to leave the organization. They have since been sentenced to prison terms of 4 to 12 years.
Law enforcement authorities nearly dismantled the domestic drug distribution organization at that time; however, they failed to capture A, the leader of the smuggling organization. As a result, the Korean National Police Agency received a red notice from Interpol in July 2023, designating A as a key fugitive under international escape. Additionally, they have been collecting overseas intelligence in coordination with the National Intelligence Service.
The joint tracking team from South Korea and Thailand confirmed that A was hiding in the Khon Kaen area, about 500 km from Bangkok, in November of last year. Subsequently, based on real-time tracking by the South Korean police liaison dispatched to Thailand and after extensive surveillance, A was apprehended on November 19 of last year.
The National Intelligence Service also received intelligence that A attempted to seek release in Thailand. In response, the police immediately blocked the release through a police liaison and swiftly secured the deportation order through urgent negotiations with the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center (IDC) and the Immigration Bureau.
Lee Jun-hyung, Director General for International Cooperation at the Korean National Police Agency, said, “This is a successful example of cooperation in which both South Korea and Thailand united with the common goal of eradicating drugs and relentlessly pursued and captured the criminal.” The Pyeongchang Police Station plans to apply for an arrest warrant after conducting an investigation on A.